Automatic rocking-chair fan.



A. LAWSON & R. S. c B. WILDBUR Patented June 7,1910.

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ANDREW E GRAN/wl co. PHOTO-umosmvnzks. WASHINGTON n. C

A. LAWSON & R. S. & B. WILDBUR` AUTOMATIC ROGKING CHAIR FAN.

APPLIGATIQN :FILED AUG. 13. 1908'.

960,967. Patented June 7,1910. I

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- "704561 Wz'ldug UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

ALEXANDER LAWSON, OF EAST BARRE, AND ROBERT ISAIVHVEII'J WILDBURAND BERNIGE WILDBUR, OF AW'EBSTERVILLE, VERMONT.

AUTOMATIC BOOKING-CHAIR FAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 13, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER LAWSON, ROBERT S. WILDBUR, and BERNIGE WILDBUR, citizens of the United States, the first-named residing at East Barre, and the others at Websterville, in the county of Washington and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Automatic Rocking-Chair Fan, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fan attach ment adapted for use in connection with rocking chairs whereby a draft of air will be directed upon the occupant of the chair while rocking the same.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character so as to be comparatively simple and ineX- pensive to manufacture, efficient in use, andl readily applied to any ordinary rocking chair.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel form of supporting frame carrying a rotary fan and operating means between the fan and one of the rockers of the chair whereby the oscillation of the latter will'actuate the fan, the fan being adjustable to different positions to operate to the best advantage.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus shown applied to a rocking chair, intermediate portions of the standard being broken away. Fig. 2 is a front view of the apparatus. Fig. 8 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 4 is an enlarged central vertical section taken through the standard. Fig. m5 is a detail sectional view for showing the fan blade supporting spider. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing the connection of the rocker with the rocking springs of the apparatus. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line 7 7, Fig. 4.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a chair of any approved construction, preferably having the usual rockers a, of which one is shown in the present instance. Mounted at one side of the chair and resting on the Hoor is the fan attachment designated generally by B and positioned in such relation to the chair that the occupant will receive a cooling draft of air.

In the construction of the fan attachment or apparatus B, a standard 1 is mounted on the base frame 2 on which one rocker of the chair rests, and at the upper end of the standard is a rotatable fan-carrying shaft 3. The frame 2 is a metal cast-ing or other suitable structure formed with a rail 4 of such length as to form a bearing for the rocker a of the chair and the thickness of this rail is such that it will not raise the rocker from the floor sufficiently to be perceptible to the person sitting in the chair. The base frame 2 is formed with a central laterally-extending arm 5 that is formed at its outer end with a socket 6 in which is threaded the lower end of the standard 1. This standard is held rigidly in upright position by a central brace 6a and side braces 7 secured, respectively, at their lower ends to the arm 5 and rail 4 of the base frame, and at their upper ends to an intermediate portion of the standard, as by means of a bolt 8.

The standard 1 is shown, in the present instance, as composed of tubular sections 9, 10 and 11, the first two of which are connected by a coupling 12 whereby they form the rigid part of the standard, while the upper section l1 is capable of being raised or lowered for varying the position of the fan. The section 11 telescopes in the fixed part of the standard and is clamped in any desired position by a clamping screw 13 or equivalent means. The upper end of the tube 11 carries a head 14 formed with spaced upstanding bearings 15 for the shaft 3 that carries the fan. The tubular section 11 can be rotated on its axis to a limited degree for adjusting the position of the fan.

In the present instance, the fan-carrying shaft is rotated by means of a cord which passes upwardly through the standard, butit is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this arrangement.A The coupling 12 is provided with spaced openings 16, Fig. 7 for receiving guide pulleys 17 that are mounted between outstanding lugs 18 on the collar. Passing over these pulleys is the fan-operating cord 19 which has one extremity fastened at 20 to the front end of the rocker and extends therefrom over one of the guide pulleys, thence upwardly through the standard, and is wrapped one or more times around a drum 21 on the fancarrying shaft 3, thence passing downwardly through the standard and outwardly from the same around the other guide pulley 17 to connect at 22 with the rear end of the rocker a. By this arrangement, the oscillation of the rocker will cause the cord to rotate the shaft alternately in a clockwise and anti-clockwise direction. In order to provide for a vertical adjustment of the standard, one end of the cord is adjustably connected with the rocker "so that the cord can be lengthened or shortened. For this purpose, the rear end of the rocker is provided with an eye 22 through which the cord passes and is brought back on itself to form a loop, the free end of the cord having a clip or other fastening 23 slidably engaging and biting the intermediate portion of the cord. l/Vhen it is desired to lengthen the standard, the device 23 is loosened and slipped downwardly toward the eye 22 so as to allow the cord to slacken. After the standard is adjusted to the desired position, the device 23 is drawn upl wardly away from the eye 22 to place sufiicient tension on the cord to frictionally grip the drum 21 of the fan-carrying shaft.

The fan, in the present instance, consists of a spider or socket piece 24 comprising a tubular hub 25 through which the shaft 3 extends and formed with radial arms 26 for receiving the shanks 27 of the fan blades 28. The socket piece or spider is held in place by means of a set screw 29 whereby the fan can be moved inwardly or outwardly on said shaft 3. The spider is preferably formed of two parts divisible on a transverse plane passing centrally through the arms and each arm is provided with a socket 30 into which the stems or shanks 27 extend and are clamped in position by thumb screws 3l or equivalent means connecting the two sections of the spider together. The fans can be adjusted so as to be at any desired inclination to the plane of rotation, and this is readily accomplished by making the Shanks 27 of round cross section where they fit in the sockets of the arms 26. On the base frame 2 there is formed an extension plate 32 opposite from the arm 5 for carrying a spring rocking device 33 such as is commonly employed in rockers of that type having stationary base frames. The springs 34 of the device 33 are connected with the bracket plates 35 which are fastened by screws 36 with the inner face of the rocker at substantially the center thereof. The device 33 thus forms an attaching means between the rocking chair and base frame, so that there is no possible danger of the rocker passing off the rail 4, and at the same time the springs assist in the easy rocking of the chair.

In applying the apparatus to a chair, it is merely necessary to fasten the bracket 35 to one of the rockers thereof after such rocker has been positioned on the rail 4 and apply the two eye screws at the points 20 and 22 for connection with the fan-operating cord 19. The standard is then adjusted to the proper height with respect to the chair and after the cord is tightened, the fan is ready for use. It is obvious that when the attachment is applied in this manner, the rocking of the chair will cause the fan to alternately rotate in opposite directions.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while we have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which we now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure b Letters Patent, isz- 1. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a base frame provided with a rail for the rocker of a chair, an eX- tensible standard mounted on the frame, a rotatable fan carried by the standard, operating connections between the fan and rocker including means providing for the lengthening and shortening of the standard, and a spring device operatively connected with the said rocker and independent of the said operating connections to assist in returning the chair from tilted to central or normal position and operating through the said connections to assist in rotating the fan.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a base frame including a rail for the rocker of a chair, a device rigidly connected with the frame and said rocker for holding the latter in cooperative relation with the rail and including means for assisting in the movement of the chair, a standard mounted on the frame, a fan carried by the standard, and operating connections between the fan and rocker. j

3. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a base frame of such height as to receive one rocker of a chair while the other rocker rests on the floor, a spring rocking device mounted on the frame and adapted to be connected with the rocker resting on the base frame for preventing it from leaving the frame during rocking and for assisting in the rocking of the chair, a fan support on the frame, and operating means for connecting the fan with the rocker.

4c. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a base frame adapted to rest flat on the Hoor for receiving one rocker of a chair while the other rocker rests on the floor, a plurality of springs mounted thereon, a bracket connected with the springs and adapted to be attached to the rocker, a standard carried by the base frame, a fancarrying shaft on the standard, and operating connections between the rocker and said shaft for rotating the latter.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a railarranged to receive the rocker of a chair, a plurality of springs disposed at one side of the rail, a bracket carried by the springs and rigidly connected with the rocker for holding the latter in alinement with the rail and assisting in the rocking motion, and a fan-operating device actuated by the rocker.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a base frame, a tubular standard rising therefrom, a head on the upper end of the standard, a horizontallydisposed fan shaft mounted in the head, an inelastic fiexible element frictionally engaging the shaft and having two portions extending downwardly into and through the standard and passing out of the latter intermediate its ends and extending in opposite directions from the standard, means for connecting the ends of the element to the ends of a rocker of a chair, and means on the standard at the points where the two portions of the element pass out of the same for guiding said element.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a standard composed of a lower fixed section having openings and an upper extensible section, a head on the upper end of the upper section, a fan-carrying shaft mounted in the head, a flexible element wrapped around the shaft and having separate portions extending from the shaft downwardly into and through the upper section of the standard and out of the openings of the lower section of the standard, the ends of the element extending respectively to the front and rear of the standard to connect with the front and rear ends of a chair rocker, one end of the element being adjustably connected with the rocker, and pulleys mounted in the lower section of the standard at the said openings for guiding the element.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a standard consisting of telescoping sections, one of the sections being composed of separable parts connected by a coupling, the said coupling having openings, guide pulleys at the openings, a fan-carrying shaft mounted on the upper end of the standard, a iexible element operatively connected with the shaft and extending through the standard tothe pulleys and extending out of the standard around the pulleys, and means for connecting both ends of the element with the end of the rocker of a chair, said element having means for lengthening and shortening the same.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a base frame consisting of a rail and an arm and extension plate extending from opposite sides of the rail, said arm having an upstanding socket, a standard having its lower end secured in the socket, braces between the standard and base frame, a spring rocking device mounted on the extension plate and including means for attachment with the rocker of a chair, said standard having a vertically-adjustable section at its upper end, a head on the said section, a transversely-extending shaft rotatably mounted in the head, a drum on the shaft at the said head, a fan mounted on the shaft, a flexible element wound around the drum and extending downwardly therefrom, means on the standard for guiding the element, means for connecting the ends of the element to the chair rocker, said element being capable of lengthening or shortening, according to the position of the drum with respect to the rocker.

ALEXANDER LAVSON. ROBERT SAMUEL VILDBUR. BERNICE WILDBUR.

Witnesses ARTHUR MoALLrsTER, FLOYD BLAKE. 

